After Elizebeth Warren, an overqualified presidential candidate, dropped out of the race to the White House on March 5th, many questioned if she can’t do it, then who can? Previously voters rallied together to support Warren’s campaign and her notion of representation for all young girls. On her campaign trail, Warren was known for giving out pinky promises while reminding young girls that running for president isn’t something only men can do: “I’m running for president because that’s what girls do (Herndon).” Warren’s campaign was a reminder that women are not sitting around idly: they are stepping up and making their voices heard. But despite their effort, America continuously refuses to let a female candidate get to the country’s highest elected office. It seems that no matter “how qualified, brilliant, and prepared, a woman will always be punished for her womanhood (Herndon).” While the timing of Warren’s candidacy might have had a negative impact on her campaign, I would argue that sexism also played a catastrophic role. Systematic sexism makes it so that any female candidate has to jump through more hurdles, survive more criticism, and stand by as she is scrutinized for her appearance, demeanor, and relationships. Warren isn’t trying to prove that being a woman should not be a qualifying nor disqualifying characteristic. She is trying to prove that a woman is undoubtedly capable of doing the job to the same extent as any man. Fighting for a woman president is not a fight to prove that women are superior; it’s a fight to prove that women are equal. While many thought America was finally ready for a female president, the truth is that we’ve been prepared for far too long but we’re scared.
Some are scared that with a woman in the White House she won’t get the job done. Others are scared to put their votes towards a female because they are terrified they’ll have to face a repeat of the 2016 race. While some voters “praised the female candidates for their readiness to take on Trump, some would almost protectively confess that they didn’t want to watch Warren or Harris or Klobuchar go through what Hillary Clinton did(Nilsen).” Others argue that a woman just can’t beat Donald Trump, yet somehow Nancy Pelosi beats him every day. Some argue that because a woman lost in 2016, another woman would likely lose again in 2020. What no one talks about is that “men have been losing the presidency for hundreds of years (Nilsen).” These points however only further sexist thinking.
No matter the role gender played in the 2016 election and now in 2020, it is clear we need a fresh start: someone progressive. We need sweeping change: we can’t be afraid of a revolution. Maybe this year voters cared less about the candidate and more about beating Trump. But in the future, we can’t sit around waiting for the perfect moment to elect a female president because it won’t come. We won’t see a female president until voters see females’ ideas, beliefs, and goals as synonymous to those of males: nothing less nothing more. This means understanding much more than a candidate’s beliefs and ideas. It means understanding the movements that give power to these women. So many people want to see a female president in their lifetime while others don’t understand it’s importance. In order for everyone to understand the importance, they must understand the feminist theory. Read about it, talk about it, write about it, and hopefully, more of the world will understand that this is not a fight/race to overthrow men in power. This is a fight for equal rights to end structural inequalities and institutionalized sexism among us all. This is what women are asking for: to be seen, to be heard, and to be scrutinized in the same way any male would be. Once this idea is understood by the majority, we may finally see a female sworn in as the President of the United States.
